Dear Jane
by unMaskedSmile
Summary: Maura just wants to go home...


AN: This is my very first (and probably only) fanfiction. I was listening to the Blake Shelton version of Home the other day and this story just wrote itself in my head. Since I was bored I decided to write it up and post it. It's just a little dabble, but I hope you like it nonetheless...

I guess I should put the standard disclaimer that the characters don't belong to me and whatnot...

* * *

_Dear Jane,_

_It looks as though it's going to be another beautiful day. I've only just returned from another Fairfield charity event and am sitting on the balcony awaiting the first vestiges of light to break the horizon. I love the dawn. To me, sunrise always signifies the potential for endless possibilities. Maybe someday I'll reach out and grasp one. I miss you, my friend._

_Love, Maura

* * *

Dear Jane,_

_I am in Naples, eating pizza, and reminiscing about old times. Back when I would sip wine, and you would try to convince me that beer with pizza is an absolute necessity. I wonder how you would react to this authentic Italian pizza, so different from how it is in Boston. Or if maybe for once I would be able to convince you that wine goes well with pizza. It seems I will never know. As always, I miss you._

_Love, Maura

* * *

Dear Jane,_

_As I greeted each guest for my parents' dinner party tonight I wondered again how it was that I came to be here. To be back in the swirling social scene of the upper echelons of society. Although I was born into this world, I still feel like an outsider. I would give anything to feel as though I were part of a family. The way I felt when I was with you. I wish you only knew how much I miss you._

_Love, Maura

* * *

Dear Jane,_

_I just don't know what to do with myself anymore. I am living a life of leisure. A life that many people could only dream of living, and yet I am unhappy. My dreams do not consist of endless parties, or being waited on hand and foot. I dream of being useful. Of helping people the way we did back when we were a team. I long for some kind of purpose. I long for the times before our fight. When I had a family, and my life had meaning. I want to go home. I am always missing you._

_Love, Maura

* * *

_

As she finished writing her latest letter, Maura sat back with a sigh. She knew that this letter would be no different from the others. And so, like the others, she sealed it away in an envelope and added it to her ever growing collection.

* * *

It had been four months and Jane Rizzoli had not seen hide nor hair of Dr. Maura Isles. Four long, excruciating, months. Ample time for her to relive that last day over, and over again.

"_Oh my god, Maura. Can you please just tell me what the cause of death is?"_

_Maura looked up from the corpse that she was elbow deep in and answered, "You know that I do not like to make assumptions. I will let you know for sure as soon as I do."_

"_Ugggh!" Jane was being extremely impatient. She had no other cases to work on and she couldn't even really get started on this one until Maura finished the autopsy._

"_Jane, if you're going to pace could you please go somewhere else and do it. I find my concentration to be a bit lacking this morning due to an insufficient amount of sleep last night."_

"_Aww… was poor little Princess Isles out late too last night? Maybe she should go back to bed, and us common folk can clean up the mess here." Jane sneered, her jealously of Maura's elevated social stature once again rearing it's ugly head._

_Hurt flashed across Maura's face. "I know that you're angry that I missed gnocchi night last night with your family, but I had to go to that function. My parents had already promised their friends that I would attend."_

"_Well, I had already told my parents that you would be coming over as well. Disappointing them sure means a hell of a lot less to you than disappointing your parents' friends. I see what we mean to you now. You know what? Whatever. Who needs you? Go back to your hoity-toity country clubbers." With that Jane turned on her heel and stormed out of the morgue, never noticing the tears falling from her friend's face._

_And that was the last time that Jane Rizzoli had seen Dr. Maura Isles._

A voice broke her out of her silent musings.

"Hey Jane," called Frost. "Have you seen today's paper?"

"Not yet," she answered, "What's up?"

"Have a look for yourself. Section B," he replied, throwing her the paper.

Jane opened up the paper to the society page. Right there on the front page of the section was a large color picture captioned, "Philanthropists Dr. Jasper and Brenda Isles, along with their daughter, Dr. Maura Isles, at last night's dedication of Boston's new Children's Hospital."

Jane blinked at the picture. Maura. Maura was back.

* * *

Immediately after their fight Jane knew she had been wrong. Growing up in a working class neighborhood had made her prejudiced to those that were more fortunate that her. She had always thought them arrogant, conceited, selfish, and a great many other things, none of which were in any way complimentary. That was until she met Maura. Maura was none of the things that Jane had believed about the upper class. In fact she was the kindest, most generous, selfless person Jane had ever known.

Instantly Jane regretted everything she had said to Maura. Not knowing how the doctor would respond to her immediate return to the morgue, Jane decided that she would let herself and Maura cool down a bit more before going down to apologize and take her out to lunch. The plan seemed like a good one in theory, but when Jane went back to the morgue it was empty, save for a finished autopsy report laying on one of the tables. Feeling that Maura obviously just wanted her space, Jane went back up to her office and resolved to apologize first thing tomorrow morning.

When morning came, Jane once again found herself facing an empty morgue. Finding it odd that Maura wasn't there since the doctor was never late, Jane decided to ask around if anyone had heard anything. It was Korsak who told her that Maura had called in on a personal day and that there was a back-up Medical Examiner on call should the need arise. Jane had a niggling feeling in the back of her mind that something was really wrong, but she decided to give Maura one more day of space so as not to make matters worse.

On the second morning after their fight, Jane did not find herself facing an empty morgue. Rather she found herself facing a squat, balding man in a white lab coat introducing himself as Dr. Clarke, the new resident ME. Confused, Jane ran upstairs to her desk while dialing Maura's cell phone. It went straight to voicemail. At that moment, the lieutenant walked in to inform the division that Dr. Isles had sent in her letter of resignation and would no longer be working with them. All eyes shot to Jane as she leapt out of her chair and ran out the door.

There had to be some kind of mistake. Maura wouldn't just quit because of a small fight she had with Jane. She didn't have that kind of power. Did she?

_Impossible_, Jane thought as she raced over to Maura's house. _There's no way that I could've affected her that badly. It was just a stupid, stupid fight._

As soon as she pulled up to the house she knew that Maura was gone. Everything was clean, and locked up tight, and she could just feel the emptiness emanating from the house. Jane didn't know what to do. So she did the only thing she really felt like doing. She sat down on the front step and cried.

That had been four months ago and she still felt the emptiness that she had felt that day. She had lost her best friend. Over something so very, very stupid. There was only one thing to do. She still owed Maura an apology. She just hoped that it wasn't too late.

Jane called out to her partner, "Frost, there's something I have to take care of. I have my cell if you need me, but I'm probably not going to be back in today. I have to go."

"No problem, Rizzoli, I figured as much. I got your back."

* * *

It felt so good to be home again. The past four months with her parents had been draining. She had to try so hard to be the perfect daughter that they wanted her to be, all the while screaming on the inside about the inanity of it all. In her own home she had the freedom to be who she wanted to be. The only downside to that was that the only person she really wanted to be was Dr. Maura Isles, Chief Medical Examiner to the Boston PD Homicide Division, and best friend of one Detective Jane Rizzoli. But that person just did not exist anymore.

Maura figured that in time she would learn to live with that. It was tough, though, knowing that Jane was out there somewhere in the same city, just living her life, probably having completely forgotten that she even once had a friend named Maura. And Bass was exceedingly happy to be home. As long as she had her home and her tortoise, she would try to endure and move forward with life.

Both she and Bass were startled by a knock at the door. Wondering who it could possibly be, she swiftly went to open it. There, standing on her front porch, was none other than…

"Jane."

"Maura." The detective responded in greeting.

"Wha-"

"No," Jane interrupted. "Before anything else happens I have to say this. I am so sorry, Maura. I was so stupid. I didn't mean those things I said to you. I was just being petty, and jealous, and actually, stupid pretty much just about covers it. I didn't know that you would take anything I said that seriously, and I missed you so much. You just disappeared, and I missed you. I was so alone. You're my best friend."

Maura was in shock. She didn't know that Jane felt that way about her. Jane, who had a loving family and lots of friends, had felt alone without her.

"Well, I take your silence to mean that it's too late and I really have completely lost you now, so I'll just g-"

"Oh Jane." Maura jumped into the detectives arms, giving her the hardest hug she could manage. When she pulled back she was in tears. "I'm so sorry Jane, my amygdala still has that unfortunate, uncontrollable connection to my lacrimal gland."

"It's okay, Maur, I cried a bit too when I found out you left me."

"Jane, I was so stupid too. You were my best friend and I thought that you hated me. When you didn't call me after our fight, or even the day after, I thought that our friendship was over. You had given me the only family I really, truly felt a part of, and it hurt me so bad to think that you didn't want me anymore. So I left. But I missed you so much that I wrote you letters almost every single day, but never sent them because I thought you had probably forgotten me already and-"

"Geez, Maur, maybe you are a dumb genius," Jane laughed. "It's alright though. From now on, whenever we fight we just have to know that it's not the end of our friendship. Even if we don't make up that very day, just know that we will make up. Because you are my best friend, and a part of my family, and I wouldn't have it any other way."

Just then, their conversation was interrupted by Jane's phone ringing.

"Rizzoli."

"Hey Jane, it's Frost." the voice on the other line said. "Look, I know that you had some stuff to do, and I told you I would try not to bother you, but we just got a call on a triple homicide that I really need your help on."

"No problem, Frost. We're on our way."

"We?" he wondered.

"Yeah, me and Isles."

"Tell her it's good to have her back. If I had to put up with much more of your sulking, I would've gone to the ends of the earth to bring her back myself." he laughed.

"Shut up, Frost. We'll be there in twenty." She hung up the phone.

"We? Are you sure you want me coming along so soon?" Maura asked.

"Of course," Jane smiled. "I'm definitely going to need your help identifying some reddish brown stains."

Maura just laughed as they walked to Jane's car. Back to work. Back to normal. Oh yes, it definitely was good to be home.


End file.
